Virat Kohli declared ‘Useless’ in white-ball cricket by England legend

Former England pacer Monty Panesar believes India will not be affected by Virat Kohli’s absence in limited-overs cricket. However, his absence has been noticeably felt in the red-ball format since the tour to England.

In his recent conversation with ANI, Monty Panesar made some startling observations about Indian cricket and the players. Shubman Gill was the main target, while Gautam Gambhir also could not escape the radar, after India’s terrible performance in Test cricket, and that too under home conditions.

“In white-ball format, Virat Kohli won’t miss much” – Monty Panesar

Former England all-rounder Monty Panesar feels that the Indian team may not miss Virat Kohli in white-ball cricket as much as they actually miss him in red-ball cricket. Previously, when the greats of the format retired, the next generation was ready to take over the reins, but that was not the case this time, when the three greats of Test cricket retired at the same time for India.

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“In the white-ball format, you won’t miss Virat Kohli much. But yes, in Test cricket, Virat Kohli is obviously not there, and the team intensity is less,” Panesar said.

“Indian players are not ready for Test cricket. In India, players who perform well in T20 and ODI do not perform well in Test cricket,” said Monty Panesar, who believes Indian youngsters are too mature and inexperienced for 5-day competitions.

“The gap between the Ranji Trophy and the Indian Test team is huge” – Monty Panesar

The England Spinner also highlighted that Indian youth are not focusing on Test cricket as they want to earn money by playing in domestic T20s and earning IPL contracts. Test cricket does not appeal to young cricketers, as it requires a lot of hard work.

“The gap between the Ranji Trophy and the Indian Test team is huge. The Ranji Trophy system is also very weak. The boys just want to play in the Indian Premier League. They want to get a big contract. They want to play in T20I and ODI. It takes a lot of hard work in 4-day cricket. That’s why they want to give less time.”

“They make more money in T20 cricket. They make less money in Test cricket. But the reality is that domestic cricket in Ranji Trophy is very weak. It will take some time for India to return to Test cricket,” he added.

Virat Kohli’s Test legacy is huge for Shubman Gill

Virat Kohli will always be remembered as one of the greatest Test captains from India. Under the Delhi cricketer’s rule, India secured the top spot in the ICC Test rankings, as he turned India into a dominant force in global red-ball cricket.

Talking about his statistics as captain of India, he captained India in 68 matches and led them to 40 Test wins. This is a commendable winning percentage for many successful Test captains in the world, and the highest number of wins for India.

Under Kohli’s captaincy, India won their first-ever Test series in Australia, created an unbeatable record in the home series, and qualified for the WTC finals in 2021. He portrayed the true image of a formidable Test captain, full of aggression and intensity.

Virat Kohli may be too eager for anyone to take over his legacy, but for Shubman Gill, it seems more difficult, as the batsman lacks the natural aggression and intensity of the former Indian skipper.

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